Bihar: Two army jawans exchange fire, kill each other following argument

Two army jawans opened fire and killed each other following an altercation at a house near Army cantonment Danapur town of Patna in Bihar on Monday.

According to the Bihar police, due to an ongoing dispute the Army jawans fired at each other.

Incidents of fratricide have reduced in the army over the last decade as the force has taken a raft of measures to address the issue.

Earlier, Union Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre had informed the Rajya Sabha that 310 army personnel had committed suicide since 2014. And nine officers and 19 junior commissioned officers were among those who committed suicide between 2014 and July 31. There have already been 44 suicides and a fratricide case in the Army alone this year, while in 2016 there were 101 cases, going past the figures of 78 in 2015, 84 in 2014, 86 in 2013 and 95 in 2012.

Steps taken by the government to prevent fratricide include professional psychological counseling, workshops on mental health, meditation being made part of unit routine, yoga classes, improvement in living conditions and liberalised leave policy. Apart from fratricide, more than 100 cases of suicide are reported every year in the armed forces.

OneIndia News